The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of an object in a processing chamber generally includes a mounting structure to fixedly secure the temperature sensor to a wall of the processing chamber. The processing chamber may contain processing gases, may be pressurized and/or may be in a vacuum environment. Generally, a sensor tip of the temperature sensor is inserted into a hole of the processing chamber to contact the object to be measured. A seal is also generally provided to hermetically seal the hole to prevent processing gases from leaking or to maintain a desired pressure or vacuum in the processing chamber.
The sensor tip of the temperature sensor, when inserted into the processing chamber, cannot be seen. It is difficult to determine whether the sensor tip contacts the object to be measured during installation or whether the sensor tip maintains sufficient contact with the object after an extended period of operation. An accurate temperature measurement cannot be achieved when the sensor tip is not in good contact with the object to be measured.